“Before heaven and earth there was something indefinite. How calm! How devoid! It stands solely and invariably; the Dao acts throughout and unwearily. It can be seen as the mother of all that is under the sky. I do not know it´s true name but call it by the word “Dao”.
The Dao is diffuse and vague; and yet it contains imagery. How blurred! How faint! And yet there are patterns in it. How slurry! How confused! And yet it carries fortitude. Because this power is most true, there is trust to be found in it.”
- Lao Tzu
In the ancient eastern philosophy of Daoism, the world is perceived to be driven by an omnipresent spontaneous process called the Dao. It is neither abstract nor concrete, it follows a principle but no definite plan. According to the daoist philosophy, the universe does not consist of individual pieces that are put together, but rather is unfolding from within.
When you ask: “What is a tree made of?”, the answer would certainly include “leaves, twigs, branches and roots”. But if you'd glue together some leaves, twigs, branches and roots, the result would not be a tree at all. The tree is only growing out of itself, and so does the universe. It unfolds and releases potential without being aware of it or having a definite purpose.
The Shapeless Shape
ash wood
carved, stained, oiled
D 90 x 5 cm
2022
12.900 €
This project was supported by the free state of Bavaria with the grant “Junge Kunst und neue Wege”.
